My most enduring memory of Lew Griffiths, and one that gives a nice insight into his character, came on the day that the Native Title legislation passed. There we were, arguably on one of the most profound points in our nation’s history. Let us recall just a little what this native title thing meant. Our nation was founded on a terrible lie. It read that our nation was formed on the basis of terra nullius - no one was here when we ...
It is customary to look back over a passing year and declare it as the year of something. So, what can it be for 2012? It can’t be 2012: The Year of Social media. That’s been done. There was no accumulation of events this year that took social media into a new awareness level. That is a very important benchmark that any claim to naming rights must hit. There must be a very noticeable appreciation in awareness. It must be something that almost ...
There was a time when a baby was born and things were left to chance. When Jakob’s great-grandparents were born. But that was more than one hundred and fifty years ago. Jakob will not enjoy the winds of serendipity. Jake is not concerned about that. He is happy to have a son and he is happy that he will be starting smarter. It’s all plusses for Jake. Glory is happy to have a son. She is happy that he will be starting smarter but she still harbors a secret wish that he could chart his own course. She understands that this is an entirely normal feeling after having a baby. But at Beatrice Barranger hospital on July 12, 2135, none of this really mattered. It was what it was. It couldn’t be changed. Jake and Glory were not the types to rock any boats. They were focused ...
Acknowledgements When I first joined the force I was expecting to be chasing criminals down the streets of New York. I didn’t think that it would lead to likes of Barry Sanders. As a cop, you get a sixth sense about people. You can tell when someone has done the crime. You can also smell the innocent. With Sanders, I didn’t know either way. As is common knowledge, there was all the evidence in the world. It was only Sanders that could have done it. There was no doubt about that. But having spent many hours with the man, it never fitted. If we did not have that most basic of fact, that only Sanders could have done it, I would have let him walk. If not, the justice system would probably have set him free. But Sanders now sits across town in his ten ...
